We were running late. He called the guy and asked when was the latest he could come by.

“10:30 pm,” he told me when he hung up the phone. I prodded him for what he was getting. He just replied, “Wheeling and dealing.”

I assumed it was another trade for something useless for something useful. One’s man trash is another man’s treasure.

At 10:10 pm we were talking to the optometrist about Clear Optometry. He showed me his watch, tapping its face. I awkwardly made our exit and we rushed to the car.

On the way, he made a call apologizing for the delay, saying he would be there in 10 minutes. I helped him with the directions, specifying the turns and the exits. And we were there in 10 minutes. He pulled into a spot. Locked the door while I patiently waited. The neighborhood had graffiti on the walls. But it looked like to be luxury condominium type place.

The feeling almost felt similar when we went to a sketchy part of turn to get his phone unlocked where the guy had invited him inside the house. So I cowered down slightly in the car, glancing in the rearview mirrors.

I saw him standing in front of a brightly lit new-ish building. A figure stepped out and they shook hands. He got something. They seemed to exchange small talk. A small wave and that was it.

He returned, unlocking the car and tossed something into my lap.

AN ANIMAL CROSSING GIRL! PLUSH!

It’s almost how I looked like in the game!